Dinner With Jeff and Randy

We went to Siam Reap mainly to hang out with Randy and Jeff. "Aunt" Randy is always fun to hang out with, and holds the distinct title of being the only friend or family member of ours to visit us somewhere on our trip.

We managed to stay at a hotel only five minutes away from theirs, so we could easily walk back and forth. Theirs had a pool, AC, fresh fruit and other luxuries that we took advantage of at their prodding. It didn't take much. I'm pretty sure that their hotel cost more than ours, which at $5 was actually quite the bargain. Nevertheless, they were happy to share.

We managed to spend a few hours a day together for the three or so days that our trips overlapped. It was nice to talk politics with real Americans who have been in America recently. At first it was a little weird to speak with intelligent people who speak English so well. It's been a while since we've had that opportunity. Jeff is really quick-witted, so it took some time getting used to his sarcasm which we haven't heard recently.

Jeff, by the way, was hilarious to shop with. He learned enough Khmer to charm whoever he was bargaining with. What started as a hard-nosed negotiation turned into a congenial conversation, complete with family details, gossip, jokes, etc. Jeff even managed to have friendly interactions with the tuk-tuk drivers, whom we usually view as nuisances at best. He would just take over, and within minutes everyone was cracking up, and he managed to keep a smile on the seller's face while paying no more than 1/3 the asking price. I wished we could just bottle Jeff up for all of our negotiating needs.

As usual with Randy, she was way too nice to us. She delivered and then mailed my ballot, which Dallas County had been kind enough to send to her house. She and Jeff also gave us access to her and Jeff's Angkor Wat guide and driver once they were became "templed out". And at the end of the trip, they gave us all kinds of useful supplies like ziploc bags, a recent copy of The New Yorker, two scarves, some malarone, a recent guidebook for Cambodia and a crisp $50 bill. This from the woman who is storing 90% of what we own in her basement in San Francisco.

So it was a lot of fun, we were sorry to see them go. If any of y'all want to meet up with us, its not too late!